The present application relates to a vacuum table for consolidating fibers such as are produced or formed as a continuous, nonwoven fiber web or mass, to achieve an improved density of the web or mass and/or distribution of the particles and/or fibers. In particular, the present invention utilizes a vacuum table having a moveable screen that has a patterned opening and is located between the fibers and/or particles and the vacuum source, so that the vacuum draw system will provide an oscillating pull on a fiber web and/or particle mass when it comes from the former to work the fiber mass and/or particles to redistribute the fibers and/or particles, fluids, or gasses, to adjust for specified densities and distributions of the nonwoven fiber web and/or particles.
Fibrous and/or particle webs are conventionally prepared by extruding or spinning a liquid fiber-forming or particle-forming material through a die to form a stream of filaments or particles, processing the filaments and/or particles during their travel from the die by quenching and/or drawing them, and then collecting the stream of filaments and/or particles on a porous collector. For example, a non-woven web of filaments deposited on a collector as a mass of fibers might be in the form of a handleable web or may be processed to form such a web. Often, a vacuum is used to help form the fibrous nonwoven web or mass and/or consolidate the mass. A vacuum will be used to densify the mass and distribute of the fibrous nonwoven web or mass.
Typically, the collected mass or web is of a density and distribution which is dependent on the apparatus set-up. It is not possible to make any or many adjustments to the web or mass. The pattern for the density and distribution of the fibrous nonwoven web or mass of a particular apparatus is normally set upon the construction of the machine and the setting of the vacuum. The density and distribution of the nonwoven fiber web cannot be changed unless the set-up of the machine is altered.